Monthly Archives: December 2014

Chuck Jones’s first cartoon as a director premiered in October of 1938 “The Night Watchman”. His advancement to ‘supervisor’ from animator at Leon Schlesinger Productions was noted in the film trade journal, Daily Variety, prompting not only a flurry of congratulatory letters from co-workers (Grim Natwick, for instance) and family (his brother Dick, an in-betweener at Schlesinger), but also a few telegrams from the likes of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney, and Max Fleischer (sent, we believe, with a wink from his co-workers.)

Top: Model drawing of the head rat from “The Night Watchman” by Chuck Jones, colored pencil on 12 field animation paper, 10.5” x 12.5”. Model drawings of the Night Watchman by Chuck Jones, graphite on 12 field animation paper.

Sabeena Khosla writes in the online magazine, “Highbrow”, about Chuck Jones and the exhibit “What’s Up, Doc? — The Animated Art of Chuck Jones” currently on view at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY. Read the article here.

In the online blog, “War is Boring” Steve Weintz writes about the professional and personal relationship of Ted Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss, and Chuck Jones. You can read it here.

Thanks to Tom Sito we learned that on this date in 1914, Earl Hurd patented animation ‘cels’ (celluloids) and backgrounds. Before this cartoonists tried drawing the background settings over and over again hundreds of times or slashed the paper around the character and tried not to have it walk in front of anything. By the late 1990’s, most cels & cel paint had been replaced by digital imaging.

The inimitable Maurice Noble created the backgrounds for the Chuck Jones-directed 1966 “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. This example shows his layout for the interior of little Cindy Lou Who’s home during the opening sequence of the animated television special.

Gouache, graphite, colored pencil on 12 field animation paper.

Help support the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity’s initiatives and programs. Go to the Urgency Network and donate today and receive a gift for your generosity. We appreciate your support.

Our Sunday (#7) and final winner of the Chuck Jones Gallery Black Friday Week Give-aways is Julia Knauss of Pennsylvania! Julia will receive an original production drawing of Bugs Bunny from the 1980 Chuck Jones-directed television special, “Bugs Bunny Bustin’ Out All Over” ! Congratulations, Julia!

Original production drawing from “Bugs Bunny Bustin’ Out All Over” 1980